North Korea’s July 4th Missile Test

While Americans shot off their own pretty rockets in celebration of their independence, Kim Jong Il tested seven missiles.

The testing of ballistic missiles by any nation usually gets the attention of the U.S. government, so when North Korea tested seven missiles during America’s Independence Day, the Asian nation certainly got Washington’s attention. One of the missiles — which failed in its testing — was a long-range one that some have speculated to be able to reach American shores. Last week, when satellite photos revealed North Korean preparations to either fire or test missiles, China was already clamoring to resume the informal six-party talks with North Korea, a discussion that includes the United States, China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan, China, and Russia. North Korea has been seeking one-on-one discussions with the U.S. instead.

Here’s what people are saying about yesterday’s missile tests:

“While the timing is unquestionably meant to provoke Washington, the move ought to attract roughly equal ire in Beijing. First off, China now chairs the six-party talks aimed at controlling North Korea’s nuclear program. The test thus marks the failure of Beijing’s highest-stakes diplomatic gambit yet in their own rise to great-power status.” — Suzanne Nossel, The Huffington Post

“What is truly important now for the blogosphere to investigate and expose is the decades long Democrat resistance to even a limited anti-missile defense system. In an election year such as this, presenting the short-sighted and irresponsible resistance to what limited capabilities we have now to deal with North Korea can be the best example of why the left cannot be trusted to lead this nation.” — The Strata Sphere

“This whole business with North Korea shooting off its missiles is very serious. But I keep getting that image of the Kim Jong puppet from Team America and I’m like oh but he’s just a cute little funny guy. I can hear him on the phone, screaming at Condoleezza Rice ‘DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW FUCKING BUSY I AM!!’ as another rocket launches off into the Sea of Japan.” — RayRay on MySpace

“What about Iran? Remember all that talk a few months ago about how Iran was only 14 days away (or something like that) from building a nuke and using it to torch Topeka? Well, seems the Mexican invasion from the south and the pink invasion from within took precedence politically, and now it’s North Korea. Iran went from an imminent nuclear threat to pretty much nothing in about two months. Isn’t that interesting.” — AMERICAblog

“Many experts are guessing that North Korea’s intentions are less military than diplomatic. Indeed, past missile launches have proven beneficial for the Stalinist regime: After the 1998 test fire of a long-range missile, then-Secretary of State Madeleine Albright visited Pyongyang. After a 1993 missile test, North Korea won U.S. promises to help with a civilian nuclear power plant.” — Michael Scherer, Salon.com

Talk: What should the U.S. be more worried about: terrorism or the threat of a nuclear attack from North Korea?